Forces entry test: complain to psychologist for lack of ethics

Misiones College of Psychologists is alarmed after detecting a case of malpractice or serious violation of the Code of Ethics in their specialty. It is about one of its members, through social networks, advising security forces applicants to take psychological tests “correctly” and to answer them “correctly”.

The practice is serious because it means giving up answers or directing them to people who might carry weapons in the future without reliably meeting psychic standards for that purpose.

“There is a special test to assess gun possession. First, an evaluation is made about all those who enter, and then an evaluation is made about all those who carry guns from time to time. Let’s imagine someone who carries a gun or works for the safety of the public, is an impulsive person who does not control his impulses, and therefore has an infinite number of things that put the population at risk, has a fraudulent or false test,” said member Liliana Almirón. Head.

“Entry into the Security Forces with a psychological aptitude test has always been a requirement of the agency (Gendarmerie, Governor’s Office, Federal Police) and in some cases, the Provincial Police, although not so much anymore as it has its own cabinet. Other times it was always done”, Almirón began by recounting.

“I worked at Madariaga Hospital, and a physical ability test was always necessary, and those of us who deal with psychics have certain kinds of tests applied to diagnose and confirm what kind of traits individuals are exposed to, and according to what we detect at the time who cannot enter or have some kind of problem, such as a disability or They decided they had a below-average IQ and some other traits.” Radioactive 100.7.

He also added: “This was always the case with being admitted to this psycho-diagnosis. Then, a few months ago, we received a series of tests requested by the security forces to verify the applicants, in that series there were certain kinds of tests in different capacities and problems that not all psychologists had addressed. At some point, based on this, a colleague of mine appears on the networks somewhere in the province, says that he advises those who want to undergo psychodiagnosis, this is like telling applicants what to answer in order to get in. It’s ethically and civilly sanctioned too, because it’s malfeasance, it’s almost like a crime.”

“A fraudulent report to measure would harm a security force that a person who cannot enter, enters,” said the professional.

The college institution made a statement about an attempt to circumvent or evade the data provided by the tests for the evaluation of candidates.

“This practice does not coincide with the legal, responsible and ethical practice of psychology. The position of this College is based on various legal provisions,” he warns in a request published Sunday.

“The ‘advice’ activity for psychological evaluations and its promotion through advertising media is an activity that is not among the professional responsibilities and constitutes an unlawful and deceptive practice to defraud the State in the employment of personnel who are required to collect certain information. came from the Board of Directors, which signed the statement “qualification or qualifications to fulfill

they are considering the sanction
When asked if the erratic psychologist would require suspension of registration or some sanctions, Almirón said: “We are evaluating with the lawyers to determine the sanctions, but the important thing was to inform the community first and they will then notify you. The security forces. The latter is also being evaluated to inform the gendarme.” .

In this sense, he reinforced the criteria for the steps to be taken in these situations: “For now, this is a warning to the public and colleagues, which was the most urgent because I had a colleague who violated ethical standards. This will be the first part, then we’ll look at how to proceed with the second part, so we’ll talk to the colleague or colleagues who made this practice and together with the lawyers they will decide if it is appropriate to notify security. forces.

Finally, they affirm from the CPPM board of directors: “The behavior we condemn is not appropriate practice within the scientific standards of psychology. Tests are tools with a theoretical, technical and scientific frame of reference whose general purpose is to arrive at a diagnosis”.

What does the Code of Ethics say?

• The position of this College is based on various legal provisions. Thus, according to the Decision No. 136 of the Ministry of National Education, Science and Technology, the titles of Psychology or Psychology Bachelor were declared included in the regime of Article 43 of the Higher Education Law (Law No. 24521), its implementation would directly endanger the health, safety and property of the public. ascertain that it may endanger its interests. The Misiones College of Psychologists Code of Ethics, for its part, states in its 19th article that the professional must act in accordance with the principles of good faith, ethics and professional responsibility. You should not take advantage of their asymmetrical position vis-à-vis customers for any personal gain.
• With regard to advertising, the member of the profession should take into account that the regulation in question determines that “it is undesirable to make publications containing technical references or personal procedures in non-specialized environments unless they have been previously submitted for consideration in their field”.